In Brazil’s political circles, Flávio Bolsonaro is known as ‘01’ for being the first-born son of former President Jair Bolsonaro . It was always presumed that Jair’s political heir would be his third son, Eduardo or ‘03’, who is now in hiding in the U.S., while Carlos or ‘02’, was seen as his father’s ideological heir. But he has been number one only figuratively. Flávio has long kept a lower political profile than his brothers — and even than Michelle, Jair’s third wife, who once fancied herself as a presidential candidate.
Nobody chose Flavio to lead Brazil’s far-right. The role came to him accidentally. With Jair Bolsonaro barred from running for office while serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup against President Lula da Silva, Eduardo facing prison if he returns to Brazil, and Carlos lying low after a series of scandals, the onus of keeping the family name active in politics suddenly fell on Flavio after a nasty fallout with Michelle.
That stance and the prospect of a Trump-style government aligning Brazil closely with other right-wing governments in the region have raised concerns in the country. Flavio Bolsonaro got the title of ‘01’ by the accident of his birth in the Bolsonaro family; he could also become President of Brazil by the accident of politics and his family’s circumstances.
“If Flavio is elected, it would be a disaster as it would mean the victory of a group of politicians marked by incompetence and corruption… it could even lead to the destruction of our sovereignty,” development economist Paulo Nogueira Batista said this week.
Now, on October 4, Flavio, 45, faces Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva , the 80-year-old leftist President, in the presidential elections. Throughout his career, his identity has remained tied to the Bolsonaro brand, which got a huge boost with Jair’s stunning victory in 2018. He is not qualified to be President,” Lula said of his rival on a podcast watched live by 10 million people on Thursday.
On the eve of the elections, Lula was leading Flávio by five points, with a tighter race expected if the contest goes to the second round. But even as Jair’s presidency turned the family into a powerful political clan, Flávio remained a low-profile figure. “Flávio doesn’t have a past; he doesn’t have a present and no future too. He has not done any work in his life. One area where Flávio has gone further than his father is in openly seeking Donald Trump’s support and closer alignment with U.S. During his visit to the White House in May, he discussed tariffs and rare-earth minerals with Mr. Trump, presenting Brazil as a strategic alternative to China.
“Brazil is the solution for the U.S. to no longer depend on China for critical minerals,” Flávio said during the visit.
